19/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - In the Netherlands on Thursday 18 September 2008, France ratified the Hague convention of 13 September 2000 on the international protection of adults, thus joining Germany and the United Kingdom, which have already ratified it. On the same day, Ireland, Finland, Poland, Greece, Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Netherlands signed the Convention, which comes into force on 1 January 2009. This convention on the international protection of adults makes it possible to apply the guardianship laws of the country of residence rather than the country of nationality. Thus far, judges in the country from which a person holds a passport could be responsible for a case for years, irrespective of the country where the adult is living. (B.C.)